Roundabout.



N. LSHAMROY.

ROUNDABOUT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31, 1909.

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E I -I I I I I I WITNESSES IIWEIVTOR .M'cfzaladez zcunrog Arron/ms COLUMUM PLANOGRAIH C0, WASHINGTON. 0 c4 Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

N. J. SHAMROY. EOUNDABOUT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 31, 1909.

1,078,645, Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

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7 2 \C 2 7 WITNESSES F2 IIVVENTOR y 4 ficxwzms-Jmmm ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.. WA5HINGTON. D, :4

, NICHOLAS J. SHAIVIRQY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

noulvnnnour.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

Application filed March 31, 1909. Serial No. 486,879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NICHOLAS J. SHAM- RoY, a citizen of Russia, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Roundabout, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to roundabouts having traveling passenger cars, and its object is to provide a new and improved amusement apparatus, in which each car has a planetary movement,,and the several seats in the car travel in different epicycloidal or in hypocycloidal paths, thus giving the occupants highly enjoyable and sensational rides.

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure '1 is a sectional side elevation of the improvement arranged with two cars on a single rotating support, the seats in one of the cars traveling in an epicycloidal path and the seats in the other car traveling in a hypocycloidal path; Fig. 2 is an inverted planview of the same; Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate different paths of the cars; Fig. 7 is a sectional side elevation of a single car, having a planetary gearing for causing the car seats to travel in an epicycloidal path; and Fig. 8 is alike view of a single car in which the car seats travel in a hypocycloidal path.

In theapparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

use is made of two cars A and B, of elongated, irregular or other shape, as indicated.

in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that the seats in each car are different distances from the center thereof, and the cars are provided at their centers with shafts C and D, j ournaled in a support E in the form of a circular box, provided on its periphery with a pulley E, connected by a belt with other machinery, to impart a rotary motion to the support E, the latter turning on a stud F, on which is journaled a casing E located within the support E and forminga part thereof. The stud F is attached to a suitable foundation,

and on the stud F within the casing E is secured a gear wheel G in mesh with a gear wheel G, fastened on a shaft G journaled in the casing E and on the shaft G is secured a sprocket wheelH, connected by a sprocket chain H with a sprocket wheel H secured on the shaft C of the car A. On the stud F within the casing E is also secured a sprocket wheel I, connected by a sprocket chain I with a sprocket wheel I secured on the shaft D of the car B. Now when the support E is rotated then'the shafts C and D are carried around by the support in a circular path, as the shafts are spaced equidistant from the axis of the fixed stud F. As the sprocket wheel is fixed, it is evident that when the support E revolves and carries the shaft D along, then a rotary motion is given to the shaft D by the sprocket wheel I the sprocket chain I and the stationary sprocket wheel I, so that the car B has a planetary V movement and each seat of the car travels in a hypocycloidal. path. At the same time the car A has a planetary movement and each seat of the car travels in an epicycloidal path, owing to the planetary gearing above described; that is, when the support E is rotated the gear wheel Gr rolls ofi on the stationary gear wheel G, thus giving a rotary motion to the shaft G the motion of which is transmitted by the sprocket wheel I-I, sprocket chain .H and the sprocket wheel H to theshaft C of the car A. By arranging the seats in the cars A and B different distances from the axes of the shafts C and D, it is evident that when the apparatus is in use the seats in the car A describe different epicycloids, and the seats in the car B describe different hypocycloids.

In the above construction, the cars are so arranged that when rotating, they will always, when the longitudinal axis of one is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the other, occupy the relative position shown in Fig. 2, so that the end of one car can never interfere with the end of the other.

a casing E secured on a shaft F driven by suitable machinery and journaled in a suitable bearing. The car A is mounted on a support Eflwhic'h incloses the casing E and a the support E is provided with casters E adapted to travel on a suitable foundation. The shaft F extends through and'is secured to the hub of a fixed sprocket wheel J, connected by a sprocket chainJ with a sprocket wheel J secured on a shaft K, connected by I a gear wheel K with a gear Wheel K fastened on the car shaft Now when the shaft F is driven, the casing E is causedto swing around, thus carrying the car A bodily around in a circle, and at the 'same time a rotary'motion is given to the car A, owingto the planetary gearing described, and connecti-ng the shaft C with the fixed'sprocket Wheel J. r

In the arrangement shown in 8, the

car A travels in a hypocycloidal path, and

for this purpose the shaft C of;the car is 2d journaled in a casing E secured on a shaft F journaled in a fixed'bearing, and connected with. suitable machinery for rotating the shaft F 2 and swingingthe casing E around, so that the car A travels bodily in a circle. Theca-r A is also rotated, and for this purpose the shaft C is provided with a sprooket'wheel L, connected by a sprocket chain; L with a'nfixed sprocket wheel L through the hub of which passes the shaft F and to'which it is secured ,as plainly indicatedin Fig. 8. Nowby'the'planetary gearingdescribed, the car A is rotated and at the same time carried bodily around, so that each seatin the car A travels in a hypocy- 'cleidal path. The car A? is mounted on a box-like support E having casters E traveling on a suitable foundation, the same as the device shown in Fig. 7. V

The shape ofthe cars in the construction ofFigs. 7 and 8 is of'no importance, and the said cars maybe of any desiredshape. V

. From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangementdescribed, every seatof a car has either'a hypocycloidal or an .epicycloidalpath, but theshape of the figures described by the seats depends on the ratio of the gearing. ,In general, it may be said that thehypocycloid is in the form of a polygon with curved sides. or in'the form of a star,

as indicated in Fig. 3 and according to the distance of a seat in the car from the center thereof, the star will have sharp angles or a loop at each corner, as will be'readily u'n derstoodby reference to Fig. 3; Thenun'ober of corners; or points of the star is'equal to the. ratio of the gearing, that is, if the ratio 1 to 5 there are five points or corners in e'achstar, if'the ratio .is 1 to 3, then there are three corners, as indicated in Fig. 4E, and if the ratio is 1- to 2, thepath of the seats will be straightlines,'as indicated at X in Fi'g. 25 The epicycloid,-in general, has the shape of arose, as indicated in Fig. 5, in

which thefnu mber of the petals of the rose is equal to the ratio of thegea'ring, that is,

if the ratio of the gearing is 1 to- 3'the-seats will travel in a path resembling a trefoil or a shamrock, as indicated in Fig. 6.

.It will be seen that the amusement devices, in comparison withothers having the same seating capacity, take up but little room,-andat the same time the passengers in tional rides. I

By making the supports, E, Etand E in the shape ofboxes, andproviding theaddithe cars are treated to'enjoyable and sensational casingsE E 'and'E for the'transmission, it is evident that'the noise incident to the gearing is reduced to a minimum, 7

and the gearing may be kept running in oil contained in the casings E E and E so.

that the gearing is practically self-oiling,

and is free of dust and hence not liable easily to get out of order.

7 If built on a man scale, the above-(1e scribed apparatus can be used as a toy. v

If'desired, the car A, shown iIiFig. .7, can be detached from *the shaft Cf and attached to the shaftK, so as" to provide a hypooycloidalmovement. V H 1 Having thus described 'my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. An amusementapparatus comprising. a

rotatable support, a fiXed-shaftatthe axis of the support, shafts'spacedrad-ially from the fixed shaft, a car oval in shapeand contracted transversely atits lon'gitudinal'center secured by its center to each-shaft, and connections between the shafts of'the cars and the fixed shaft for rotating saidc'ars in opposite directions when the support is ro tated, for the purpose specified V 2. An amusement apparatus comprisingla rotatable support, a fixed-shaft at the axis of the support, shafts spaced radially from the fixed shaft, a-car secured to 'eachshaft,

and connection between the shafts of the connection between the first; namedjshaft and one of the last named shafts for im parting an epicycloidal movement ,to the seats of the car thereon, and a connection between the first-named" shaft and the other of the last named shafts" for imparting a seats supported by the last named shafts," a ,7

hypocycloidal movement to the seats of the car thereon.

5. An amusement, apparatus comprlsmg a car, a rotatable support to which the car is connected, means for rotating the supthe rotating means, said car being of substantially elliptical shape and provided with marginal seats whereby to cause the occupants of the seats to move in a path eccentric to the path ofmovement of the car.

6. An amusement apparatus comprising a rotatable car, means for rotating the car, a

connection between the rotating means and the car for moving said car bodily, around the rotating means while it is being rotated, said car having a substantially elliptical body provided with marginal seats, whereby to cause the occupants of the seats to move in a path eccentric to the circle described by the car.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NICHOLAS J. SHAMROY. llVitnesses:

THEO. G. Hos'rER, EVERARD B. MARSHALL.

7 copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents Washington, D. G." 

